In this edition of the World of Reggae Music Collectionthe selector explores the most popular reggae hits. Pop Reggae helps to bring people from mainstream pop music to the reggae genre. The famous British selector David Rodigan, for example, became infatuated with reggae after hearing Millie Small performher megahit “My Boy Lollipop.” That’s where this selection of popular reggae hits begins with the 1964 international ska hit from the Jamaican singer Millie Small. And like the famous ska artists that achieved international fame in the 1960s, the modern dancehall artists Sean Paul and Shaggy have appealed to pop music fans of the 1990s and 2000s, and their albums opened doors for music fans to explore more reggae music. These artists hook new reggae fans and trigger them to explore deeper into the reggae catalog. So this selection focuses on the reggae superhits like “Pass The Dutchie” and “Here Comes The Hotstepper” that were popular in the mainstream and prompted music lovers to listen to more reggae.

In the final edition of the Roots and Culture volume of the World of Reggae Music Collection the selector presents Slavery Days. Over 400 years of slavery ravaged the Atlantic world. And in fact, the legacy of slavery has been nearly as destructive. The African Holocaust, as some in the reggae profession have termed the catastrophic event, unleashed horrific consequences for the people of Africa and for those enslaved Africans transplanted to the islands of the Caribbean.

Rocksteady

The Jam-Tex selector offers a new chapter in the World of Reggae Music Collection entitled Rocksteady. The rocksteady collection contains over 100 of the best Jamaican songs from the Rocksteady Era (1966-1968). Rocksteady music represents the transition from the faster-paced ska music of the late 1950s and 1960s to the easy-grooving reggae music of the 1970s. The sounds of rocksteady are the soul of reggae. An excellent film that depicts this era is Stascha Bader’sRockteady: The Roots of Reggae, which is narrated by Stranger Cole and provides an excellent historical account of late 1960s Jamaica rocksteady music scene.

As the precursor to reggae, many reggae and ska musicians participated in the Rocksteady Era including legendary Jamaican performers like Alton Ellis, Lee Scratch Perry, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Desmond Dekker, and Ken Boothe. Many well-known vocal groups including The Paragons, The Techniques, the Melodians, the Ethiopians, the Kingstonians, and the Maytals participated in the movement while bands like the Uniques and the Jets laid down the intoxicating rhythms. The great musicians of ska and reggae music played rocksteady tracks, including Tommy McCook, Ernest Ranglin, Jackie Mittoo, and Lynn Taitt.

Now the selector moves back in time to the roots of reggae, exploring the greatest singles from the early ska era. Please feel free to suggest your favorite singles. The primary examination of the “Ska Originals” genre focuses on the founders of ska music from the late 1950s to the 1960s. Later posts will explore forms of ska music of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s: Two-Tone Ska and Third Wave Ska.

The classic ska bands and vocal groups of the era appear on this collection, including the famed The Skatalites, The Ethiopians, The Pioneers, The Soulettes, The Paragons, The Heptones, The Ethiopians, The Techniques, The Upsetters, The Baba Brooks Band, The Gaylads, and The Versatiles. Many of the great ska musicians have singles that made this chart, like Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Lyn Taitt, and Tommy McCook.

Ska music is fun and fast, yet a very easy-going music that sends you skanking around the room. I love this music. There are some wonderful characters that came out of this musical genre, performers like Prince Buster, Sir Lord Comic, Lord Kitchener, Stranger Cole, Lord Creator, and the Folkes Brothers. Plus the dynamite sounds of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires make for some of the most classic ska tracks. The Jam-Tex selector invites you to comment on the list and make suggestions.

The Italian reggae sensation Alborosie dropped a limited edition of Soul Pirate on the masses this month. The singles “Kingston Town,” “Rastafari Anthem,” “Herbalist,” and “Moonshine” promise to be roots reggae hits. Kymani Marley, Ranking Joe, and Michael Rose all appear on the disc. Marley and Alborosie cover Bob Marley’s “Natural Mystic” while Ranking Joe toasts over “Precious.” This disc is a classic one!

Bob Dylan continues to amaze. On Tell Tale Signs versions of “Mississippi” and “Dignity” give me chills. This new edition of bootlegs covers the more recent work of Dylan, including the beautiful tracks laid down by producer Daniel Lanois.

Thievery Corporation’s new album Radio Retaliation mashes reggae, dancehall, dub, international, and electronica music with a revolutionary spirit. Several vocalist appear over the thickly layered world beats, including Sleepy Wonder, Seu Jorge, Femi Kuti, Anushka Shankar, Jana Andevska, Lou Lou, Notch, and Chuck Brown. I especially like the reggae-laced tracks, “Sound the Alarm,” “Radio Retaliation,” and “Blasting Through the City.” Also “El Pueblo Unido” is a powerful song driven by Latin rhythms and bold lyrics.